Nagar Brahmin
| Nagar Brahmins | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Nagar Brahmins in Western India (c. 1855-1862) | |
| Religions | Hinduism |
| Languages | Gujarati, Hindi, English |
| Country | India |
| Populated states | Gujarat, Rajasthan |
| Region | North West India |
| Ethnicity | Indian |
The Nagar Brahmin are a Hindu caste of India, primarily found in Gujarat.
History
The Brahmins mentioned in the Nidhanpur and Dubi inscriptions of king Bhaskaravarman bore surnames "which are at present used by Kayasthas of Bengal and Nagara Brahmins of Gujarat", and historians suggest the Bengali Kaysathas may have originated from the same group as Nāgar Brahmins.[1][2]
During the rule of the Caulukya and Vāghela dynasties, the Nāgars held prestigious positions in royal courts along with Jains and other Brahmins. Their occupations included writing Sanskrit literature, performing Vedic rituals, and conducting royal funerals; they were also famed throughout India as pilgrimage officiants at tīrtha (holy water) sites.[3]
The Nāgara Khaṇḍa is a quasi-caste purana for the Vadnagar Nāgars. It was partly composed before the late 13th century and was added to the existing Skanda Purāṇa, as part of a wider trend of adding mainly unrelated khaṇḍas to the text. The text extols the holy sites around Vadnagar (historically known as Ānarta, Ānandapura, and Camatkārapura).[4]
According to the Vastupāla Carita of Jinaharṣa Gaṇi, the Vāghela king Vīsaladeva formed the branches of the Nāgars at a yajña (sacrifice) at Darbhavatīpura (modern Dabhoi), the branches being the Vīsalanagara, Ṣaṭpadra, Kr̥ṣṇapura, Citrapura, and Praśnika branches.[5]
In the later periods many Nāgars also became financiers and moneychangers.[6]
During the rule of the Gujarat Sultanate and Mughal Empire, the Nāgars learned Persian and held important posts in royal courts. Similarly under British rule, the Nāgars learned English and held administrative posts.[7]
In the late 19th century, many leaders of the Gujarat Vernacular Society were Nāgars, along with Vaniyas[8]
One notable member of the community was the educationist Hansa Jivraj Mehta, whose inter-caste marriage to Jivraj Narayan Mehta in the 1920s provoked what historian John R. Wood describes as a "mild sensation". Her husband was from the Bania caste.[9]
Notable People
References
- ^ S. R. Bakshi; S. R. Sharma; S. Gajrani (1998). "Land and the People". Contemporary Political Leadership in India. APH Publishing Corporation. pp. 13–14. ISBN 81-7648-008-8.
- ^ Das, Sukla (1980). Socio-Economic Life of Northern India (c. A.D. 550 to A.D. 650). Abhinav Publications. pp. 53–54.
- ^ Sathaye, Adheesh A. (2015). Crossing the Lines of Caste: Viśvāmitra and the Construction of Brahmin Power in Hindu Mythology. Oxford University Press. pp. 154–155.
- ^ Sathaye 2015, p. 154-155.
- ^ Asoke Kumar Majumdar (1956). Chaulukyas of Gujarat. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 178.
- ^ Yagnik, Achyut; Sheth, Suchitra. The Shaping of Modern Gujarat: Plurality, Hindutva and Beyond. Penguin Books. p. 24.
- ^ Isaka, Riho (2022). Language, Power, and Identity in Modern India: Gujarat, c. 1850-1960. Routledge. pp. 19–20.
- ^ Isaka, Riho (2004). "Language and Education in Colonial and Post-Colonial India". In Sasaki, Takeshi (ed.). Nature and Human Communities. Springer. p. 29.
- ^ a b Wood, John R. (November 1984). "British versus Princely Legacies and the Political Integration of Gujarat". The Journal of Asian Studies. 44 (1): 65–99. doi:10.2307/2056747. JSTOR 2056747.
- ^ Dwijendra Tripathi; Jyoti Jumani (2007). The Concise Oxford History of Indian Business. Oxford University Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-19-568429-2. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
External links
